Autistic or not? :)

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Hi all!

My son is 26 months old and has absolutely no vocabulary. He babbles a lot and says the word "daddy," but doesn't know what it means. We went for a speech therapy assessment where we were told he has some "red flags." for example, he lacks imaginative play. He didnt know what to with a doll until we showed him. When he is surrounded by toys, he will find a box or container and put several small toys or blocks inside the box and shuffle his hands inside the box to make noise. He will then take the stuff out and put it back in several times. He is more interested in doing that than playing with toys. However, when you distract him he will come and play with you, but after 5-10 min he'll go back to his box and put things in and out of it.


He makes eye contact, loves to be hugged, responds to his name most of the time, points to what he wants and smiles/laughs if you do something silly. He sometimes walks on his tip toes (10-15% of the time). He Is not a picky eater, does not flap his hands or rock himself or head bang. He doesn't Throw temper tantrums or head bang himself either.


I think his comprehension is very delayed for his age too. He understands the very basic instructions like go get your shoes, go bring a bowl, sit down (that's about it). He can't imitate a whole lot. He can wave bye-bye, show you his head, eyes, ears, nose, but if you stick out your tongue and ask him to, he can't do it. Or if you sing the song "if you're happy and you know it," he can clap and stomp his feet, but can't do the hurray part and raise his hands in the air.


I'm worried he may have autism becuase the speech therapist said he has red flags, but am soo confused cuz the main trait he has is being severely language delayed. He will have a conversation with himself or with us in babble-language only.


What do you guys think?? I have an appointment with his doctor in 3 weeks but I'm not sure if he will diagnose or if he will refer us to someone to get him diagnosed.


Any feedback would help!

You are doing the right thing in having him assessed. What type of doctor will you be seeing?

Your son does have a lot of the red flags from what you've posted, and the biggest and most important one is the language delay.

Don't fret so much about the warning signs you may read about such as lining up toys etc. These sort of things vary from individual to individual are really are not the core of the disorder anyway.

Sounds like it could possibly be another disorder of some kind. He's still pretty young so maybe more signs of autism will come. I really can't say whether he has it or not.

There is a reason the diagnostic process is a process. It is not an easy thing to ascertain. There is quite a lot of variance within the spectrum, itself. Some autistic people are snuggly, some are not. Some have motor planning issues, but not all. Etc. The best thing to do while you are going through the process is to understand that the diagnosis changes nothing. Your child is who he is, regardless.

So in the meantime, you can help him with his communications. Make some pictures (Look online for PECS) to help him understand what you mean if words are not working. (I would put words underneath the pictures to help him learn the words and then say the words as you show him the pictures)

Also, a positive diagnosis is not the end of things; Understanding your child is helpful, and it gives you ideas of what can help.